Hong Kong Olympian Christy Yiu saddled with medical bills after athlete funding cut off
- Distance runner told her expenses for compulsory medical screening could not be reimbursed after paperwork was not done in time
Hong Kong distance runner Christy Yiu Kit-ching has been left with hefty medical bills after losing her elite athlete funding status for almost two months as a result of an administrative mix-up.
The former Olympian was told she could not be reimbursed for her expenses in April, incurred for the compulsory medical screening that allows an athlete to renew their contract at Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) and costs up to HK$13,000.
Yiu was no longer contracted after March 31 because of an incomplete renewal, amid uncertainty over whether the Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates (HKAAA) had completed the paperwork required by HKSI early enough.
Usual practice is for the renewal process to begin around the end of the calendar year if an athlete has already secured the necessary results.
But Yiu’s was achieved at January’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, in which she clocked two hours, 41 minutes and nine seconds to finish as the fastest local women’s runner and 10th overall.
On Wednesday, Yiu posted on social media that she had texted HKAAA staff after the marathon regarding renewing her HKSI contract, but there was no response.
